| Author | Message | ||
     Douglas Majors Yet to post message Username: rollerman Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2006 |
Hello all fellow RR & B Owners, Can anyone advise what material to use for the refurbishement of the Bonnet pads on my Shadow 1 SRH 15571? I have been informed by a renowned RR & B Specialist that approximately 70% of all shadows on the road in New Zealand are without pads. Is this due to the exorbitant cost of genuine replacements or is the material needed to refurbish them only obtainable by the elite few? I have contacted /exhausted all local avenues without success. Any help would be greatly appreciated. My compliments to those responsible for this forum, it is indeed a mine of information. | ||
| Bill Coburn Moderator Username: bill_coburn Post Number: 864 Registered: 4-2003 |
Douglas, Any self respecting upholsterer will make them for you. The main requirement is to use fireproof material. There are two references to Bonnet Pads in Tee One Topics 14/181 and 19/252 which you will find in our tech library. | ||
| Douglas Majors New User Username: rollerman Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2006 |
Thank you Bill but it seems we lack self respecting upholsterers in my area of New Zealand. As soon as the words "Rolls Royce" are mentioned, they give a low audible whistle, shake their heads and start quoting telephone numbers with $ signs in front as well as the usual mundane "But Rolls Royce bits don't break down" etc etc. I have since received word of a fabric called "Flame Quilt" sold here in New Zealand which I am now investigating further. I will keep you informed. Many thanks. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 1162 Registered: 4-2003 |
Douglas, a tip I learned years ago. Never ever say up-front that the bits are for a Rolls-Royce unless you really have to. That applies especially to jobs like upholstery, bonnet insulation and the like. Even then, say it's for an old Bentley but only if pressed. The Bentley name does not raise the eyebrows quite so much as Rolls-Royce. Best is to imply that it may be from a Humber, Wolseley or something else. As an example recently, a friend needed a new fan belt. Instead of asking the industrial outlets for a C46, he proudly asked them for a fan belt for a Rolls-Royce, holding up the old one as a sample. Not one supplier out of a dozen was prepared to sell him anything. Even though it is a standard industrial belt, a salesman would often prefer not to become involved with a one-off application with implications of complications. People are far happier to sell parts and services to pattern without knowing that they are for a Rolls-Royce. When I buy spark plugs, I always quote the NGK part number and never the type of vehicle. | ||
| Mernon Lollich New User Username: mernon_lollich Post Number: 6 Registered: 5-2005 |
You can key in "welding blanket" on either your search engine or eBay and get quite a selection. I purchased a sheet of the stuff (forget the name now) to wrap the silencers on my car (still on the "to do" list). It is less than 1/16 thick, can be cut with scissors and machine-sewn, is dark grey in color and fireproof. Mernon Lollich 1958 SC1, LSJF72 | ||
| Douglas Majors New User Username: rollerman Post Number: 3 Registered: 12-2006 |
Many thanks for this information Richard and Mernon. I never thought of Welding blanket (Obvious really) and as for not telling them it's for a Rolls Royce, I'm still learning. Pride of ownership overtakes commonsense sometimes. Our local Air Conditioning Agent gave me a price for recharging my compressor just by me quoting the make of the compressor. He told me he would have charged double had he known it was a Rolls. Just goes to show. Regards, Doug M. | ||
| bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: brig-cache-4.server.ntli.net |
In the UK this problem is not so prevelant most late RRs go to agents and the older stuff is either DIY or specalists. General garages would normaly turn a RR away and stick with what they can do fast and proper ---next one please. They have not the time to start learning on the job of how to service /repair a RR Our local RR gurus charge about £40/hour labour which is about £5 more than other non agent garages. Ford Main agent £80/hour. We have no RR main agent nearby but in London RR agent £150/hour. The only way they can charge this much is to be fast, and the only way it can be down fast is if the mechanic knows the job inside out. Hence why garages tend to stick with what they know about and also the reason why garages get through a lot of mechanics --- rapid exchange of mechanics spreads specalist knowledge about from garage to garage which is good for the trade and customers alike. A lot of my knowledge comes from what others have shown me. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Douglas Majors New User Username: rollerman Post Number: 4 Registered: 12-2006 |
Hi All, further to my earlier posting re: Bonnet Pads. I tried the FlameQuilt material but it proved to be unsuccessful in that it didn't repel water or oil. However, while talking to a Jaguar enthusiast at a local car show, he stated that an old MK11 he had restored had a similar problem and he discovered that the material used for domestic fire blankets as sold in any good hardware or safety store worked perfectly for him. I tracked a "Chubb" brand fire blanket down at my local SuperCheap Auto shop. It is a densely woven fibreglass blanket, some 1 metre X 1.8 metre that is easily cut and sewn. Although the fabric is an off white colour, he claimed that he painted his with ordinary engine spray paint and this has lasted well over 5 years. I see no reason why the loose fill fibreglass wool cannot be used to "Pad Out" the bonnet pads. I managed to score a couple of odd sheets of fibreglass wool(They are called Pink Batts over here in NZ) at no cost from a local builder erecting a new house in my location. Total cost of material enough to complete all four pads is less than $100. I shall let you know the results. Regards to all, Doug Majors. 1973 Shadow 1 SRH 15571. | ||
| Douglas Majors New User Username: rollerman Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2006 |
Hello All, an update on the Bonnet Pads. I tried the fire blanket but trying to sew everything together was a nightmare, very difficult to sew round the wire frames without breaking the needles. (YES, I did the sewing) In the end, I decided to have a cup of tea and a think. (Now you know what mechanics are doing when you catch them having a cuppa) I read somewhere of another owner who used undefloor insulating foil to cover his bonnet pads so took a trip to my local MItre 10 Mega Store. They had for sale rolls of "Cozy Floor" insulation. This is a fibreglass wool blanket bonded to a fire retardent foil. A 10 metre roll cost around NZ$60 and a 30 metre roll of fire retardent Gaffer tape was another $15 plus a couple of packets of xmas tree clips at $4 a pack. I set to work and within a couple of hours had made and fitted four new pads that have now been in use for a month with no signs of wear. There is enough material in the roll to make a couple of sets of pads so they work out very economical. The joy of these pads is that they can be wiped over with a cloth when they get dirty. I intend keeping them silver but I guess those who prefer them black can apply a light coat of suitable engine paint. 4 new pads at a cost of a lot less than the price of one.  (Message edited by david_gore on 08 July 2007) | ||
| Larry Picker New User Username: picker Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2006 |
I had mine done by Bob Chapman in Melbourne. The result is "to standard" Cost - approx AUD350. I suggest you send your frames across. | ||
| Douglas Majors New User Username: rollerman Post Number: 8 Registered: 12-2006 |
Hi Larry, Thanks for the suggestion but to send my wire frames over to Bob Chapman would push the price of the bonnet pads well over what they are worth. I was informed by my local post Office that the frames would need to be "Absolutely Spotless" so as to comply with Australian customs. There is also the danger of the frames becoming "Lost" as according to an earlier enquiry to Chapmans, they are quite hard to come by. On top of that, there is the time involved that the car would be off the road without the pads. Overall, the cost would be far too excessive. Once the bonnet is closed, I am the only person aware that the pads are not "To Standard" and if the pads I made are protecting the new paint that I just spent a fortune on having done, then so be it. SRH 15571 is not a concourse standard car but is certainly in a much better condition mechanically and cosmetically now than when I purchased it and it is being driven and enjoyed rather than becoming a showpiece in a garage. |
